I have started using some of my 100% CO soap after letting it cure for 9 weeks. I know homemade soap does not last as long as store bought but its already pretty obvious this soap is not going to last long at all. Its a fairly typical size of 3.5" X 2" x 3/4" How many uses would you expect. I have used it 3 times and its about half gone.
How long should it last
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Obsidian
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100% coconut oil soap is highly soluble so it doesn't last as long as soap with more balanced oils. A hard oil like palm or lard added at 20%-50% will greatly increase how long it lasts.
Do to the high super fat. It will be used up fast. One reason folks make a 3 to 4 oils soap is that you can super fat it much lower which makes a harder bar. Which in turn last longer.
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I think the solubility of the oils affects how long a bar lasts far more than the SF percentage.
If you use soap calc, look at the numbers for Hardness and Cleansing. Hardness-Cleansing= a number that gives you an idea how long the soap will last because if reflects the solubility of the soap. The higher the number, the longer your soap will last. Mid to high-20's will make a pretty long lasting bar. I like mine in the high 20's to low 30's.
If you look at a 100% coconut oil bar, hardness-cleansing is 79-67=12, and that is a soap with a very short life, regardless of your SF percentage.
By the way, I got all this from a post made by DeeAnna that talks about the properties of the fatty acids in soaps and how they affect the numbers on soap calc.
If you use soap calc, look at the numbers for Hardness and Cleansing. Hardness-Cleansing= a number that gives you an idea how long the soap will last because if reflects the solubility of the soap. The higher the number, the longer your soap will last. Mid to high-20's will make a pretty long lasting bar. I like mine in the high 20's to low 30's.
If you look at a 100% coconut oil bar, hardness-cleansing is 79-67=12, and that is a soap with a very short life, regardless of your SF percentage.
By the way, I got all this from a post made by DeeAnna that talks about the properties of the fatty acids in soaps and how they affect the numbers on soap calc.
Obsidian
Well-Known Member
Good post newbie, I completely forgot about Hardness-Cleansing. I really like my 100% coconut bar but I too am very disappointed in its short life span. I think for now on I will at least use brine to give it a bit more life.
If I did 50% lard and 50% CO what superfat would you recomend?
I recently made 100% CO and 100% olive oil. I rebatched and mixed them together the following morning. The CO 20% SF the OO 5% SF. I will try them out in about 3 months
Obsidian
Well-Known Member
I would do 10% SF for 50% coconut.
Dahila
Well-Known Member
I noticed that my soap after 8 weeks of cure lasts longer than commercial soap (the same weight)
